Can pollutants on land reach waterbodies that are miles away?
  • Bacteria and other pathogens can wash into swimming areas and create health hazards, often making beach closures necessary.
  • Debris - plastic bags, six-pack rings, bottles, and cigarette butts that wash into our waterways can choke, suffocate, or disable aquatic life like ducks, fish, turtles, and birds.
  • Common household products can have an adverse effect on our waterways…
  • Household hazardous waste like insecticides, pesticides, paint solvents, used motor oil, and other auto fluids can poison aquatic life. Land animals and people can become extremely ill from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting polluted water.
  • Polluted stormwater often affects drinking water sources. This, in turn, can affect human health and water treatment costs.

Show All Answers

1. What is a watershed?
2. Did you know that watersheds encompass lawns, parking lots and streets?
3. What human activities have effects on watersheds?
4. Did you know that watersheds can also have an effect on human life?
5. Are floods a major event in a watershed?
6. Can watersheds also become dry?
7. Did you know that stormwater produces water for our watersheds? What is stormwater and why does it matter?
8. Is stormwater runoff generated in more urban developed areas?
9. Why is stormwater runoff a problem?
10. Can polluted stormwater runoff have adverse effects?
11. Can pollutants on land reach waterbodies that are miles away?